Author: Amy Michele Goodman SchonfeldPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Behavior disorders in children
Languages : en
Pages : 324
Book Description
Prenatal exposure to alcohol is associated with a variety of cognitive, behavioral, and social deficits, including delinquent behaviors. Individuals exposed to alcohol prenatally, both with and without fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), have similar deficits in these functional areas. It is well documented that delinquent populations and those with intellectual and behavioral deficits exhibit impaired moral judgment and reasoning, but this area remains unexplored in alcohol-exposed individuals. For these reasons, children and adolescents with (ALC) and without (CON) prenatal alcohol exposure were evaluated on measures of moral judgment and reasoning and delinquency. Results revealed that while those in the ALC group performed at a lower level of moral maturity than the CON group, the difference was not significant. In addition, Verbal IQ primarily accounted for this difference. However, there was suggestion that a deficit on the value judgment having to do with relationships with others (i.e., Affiliation) is specific to prenatal alcohol exposure. As predicted, delinquency was higher for those in the ALC group but contrary to expectations, moral maturity did not predict delinquent behavior. In the CON group only, as the age of the subjects increased, more delinquent behaviors were endorsed. For the ALC group, socially desirable responding predicted delinquent behavior suggesting under endorsement of such behavior. A measure of inhibition did not predict delinquency or moral maturity beyond control measures. Finally, significantly more children and adolescents with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure, but without FAS, met criteria for Conduct Disorder (CD). The results of this study suggest that those with prenatal alcohol exposure are at a lower developmental level with respect to their moral reasoning about their affiliation with others. In addition, alcohol exposed individuals, specifically those without a diagnosis of FAS, are at higher risk for delinquency, particularly Conduct Disorder. The implications of this study are twofold. First, the findings indicate that children and adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure will benefit from social skills training in light of their continued deficits in interpersonal relations. Second, interventions aimed at their delinquent tendencies is warranted, however targeting moral judgment for this purpose in such an intervention may not yield additional benefit.
